Olise and Mateta ensure Crystal Palace avoid FA Cup exit after scare at Millwall

At half-time Millwall’s supporters must have been convinced this was going to be their day. Leading in the south London derby thanks to a howler from the Crystal Palace goalkeeper Jack Butland, a famous FA Cup upset seemed very much on the cards.

Unfortunately for them and their manager Gary Rowett, however, Michael Olise had different ideas. A sparkling 13 minute period at the start of the second half that saw him equalise, hit the post and then set up Jean-Philippe Mateta for what proved to be the winning goal was more evidence of the 20-year-old’s burgeoning talents.

Apart from reaching the quarter-finals under Roy Hodgson in 2019, Palace’s record in this competition has been awful since they came within nine minutes of beating Manchester United in the 2016 final, having been eliminated in the third round for the past two seasons. With that in mind, manager Patrick Vieira fulfilled his promise to select a strong side that featured the return of Conor Gallagher from injury and four other changes from the side beaten by West Ham last week.

Since Palace’s last trip to the Den nearly nine years ago. Millwall have flirted with the top half of the Championship table but not quite managed to reach the play-offs despite a couple of close shaves. Their chances of reaching the top flight for the first time since 1990 were not helped by a run of three defeats in their last five league matches and this was a welcome opportunity to make a statement against their higher-ranked neighbours.

While neither would describe each other as mortal enemies, there is certainly no love lost between clubs separated by just six miles and there was an intense atmosphere at kick-off. While Palace fans in the away end set off flares, there was widespread booing of those players who took the knee from all sections of the home support.

Rowett remembered this week how he had been on the end of some real beatings against Vieira’s Arsenal during his playing days with Derby but his side clearly had a gameplan from the start here as they sprang out of the traps. Millwall should have gone ahead in the eighth minute when Benik Afobe blasted wide from close range but the former Arsenal striker would be handed another opportunity on a plate soon after.

Quite what Butland was contemplating when he decided to take an extra touch under pressure from Tom Bradshaw only the goalkeeper will ever know and Afobe was a grateful recipient of his weak clearance. Had George Saville made the most of his chance inside the penalty area then it could have been much worse for the visitors.

Palace did at least have a sight of goal when Jeffrey Schlupp forced George Long into a solid save midway through the half, before Gallagher was inches away from equalising from just outside the box. While Eberechi Eze – making his first start since returning from a lengthy injury layoff – also started to grow into the game against his former club, it was Vieira who headed down the tunnel feeling frustrated after Saville’s well-timed challenge on the Palace forward inside the area went unpunished.

Whatever the Palace manager said during the break clearly had the desired effect. Barely 40 seconds of the second half had elapsed when Gallagher picked out Olise on the right and he unleashed a brilliant curling shot that went in off the far post. The 20-year-old was then inches away from doubling his tally six minutes later with a carbon copy, only for the ball to bounce off the post and away to safety this time.

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The loss of the influential Saville to injury suddenly meant Millwall were struggling to hang on as Olise again went close. But they could do nothing to stop him turning provider for Mateta as an inch-perfect cross picked out the unmarked Frenchman to complete the turnaround. Mateta’s reward for celebrating in front of the home fans was to be pelted with plastic bottles as several flares were set off by the Palace fans causing a delayed restart.

Rowett abandoned his three-man defence and threw on Mason Bennett in a bid to find a way back into the tie. Substitute Matt Smith’s header in injury-time proved to be their big chance and it was gratefully grasped by Butland after his earlier error.

source: theguardian.com